


Catalyst

by PearLynn



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, Pain, a mission goes astray, injuries, lots of people dying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-16 20:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7283326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearLynn/pseuds/PearLynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This mission was a complete and utter failure. Naruto was nowhere to be found, Sasuke was bleeding out on the floor, and Sakura couldn't feel her legs. What exactly had gone wrong? Sasusaku ficlet, rated T for violence, blood, and language. Formerly titled "The Mission"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have two incomplete stories that I really should finish, but instead I'm going to start a new one.
> 
> Because I'm not a huge fan of the end of the manga (minus Sasusaku becoming canon) this is the universe in which I wish things had actually happened. So basically, Naruto and Sasuke weren't idiots and didn't blow off their arms in an overexaggerated pissing contest- said contest still happened but in a bit more friendly circumstances. Sasuke did a small amount of soul searching, but came back and stayed in the village after the war and became a shinobi for Konoha once more. Everything else will be explained.
> 
> Just so you know, the story jumps around timeline-wise, but it'll make sense as the story goes on.
> 
> This was originally supposed to be a long one-shot but I decided to make it an actual chaptered story, just cuz.
> 
> Enjoy!

There was so much blood.

Everywhere. On the floor, in her hair, smeared all over her body. It was soaking the floor, pooling in the uneven ground and filling the air with the sickly scent of death. There shouldn't be this much blood.

This mission was a complete and utter failure. Naruto was nowhere to be found, Sasuke was bleeding out on the floor, and Sakura couldn't feel her legs.

What exactly had gone wrong?

* * *

**_One year ago_ **

Sasuke stared at Kakashi with shock. "ANBU?"

The Hokage nodded and slid the mask towards him. "With your loyalties to the village no longer in question, I had no doubts in asking you to join. You'd be a great addition."

Sasuke looked at the mask, instantly remembering the design as being the mask that belonged to Itachi. A sad frown pulled at his lips and he dared to look up at his former sensei. "But... I can't. I was already told by the council that my former criminal background would prohibit me from doing a lot of things for the village."

"Becoming ANBU wasn't one of them," Kakashi replied with a shrug. "Trust me when I say you are more than qualified to be a member. Not to mention you could bring a lot to the table when it comes to missions. Not that you don't know, but it's a lot harder to be recognized when you're wearing a mask. ANBU missions should come easily to you."

It was then that Sasuke's frown turned pensive, he ran his hand through his bangs, then back to where his short ponytail was fastened at the base of his neck. He sighed when he looked up to his former teacher again. "Am I the only one that's been chosen?"

He could tell Kakashi was smiling under his mask, based on the way his eyes crinkled at the edges. "Actually, no. After our meeting is adjourned, I will be asking Sakura and Naruto to become members, as well. There's no three people in the entire village that I think are more capable than Team 7."

Sasuke managed a snort, before he took the mask in his hands and stood. "Isn't that a little biased, Hokage?"

Kakashi didn't answer. "So are you accepting?"

Sasuke turned and headed towards the door. He said over his shoulder, "Let me know when I get the tattoo."

Sakura was waiting for him outside of the Hokage's tower and as soon as she spotted the mask in his hand, she pulled him into a fierce hug. He patted her on the shoulder, the ghost of a smile on his lips, and she pulled away with a grin wide enough for the both of them.

"I'm so proud of you, Sasuke-kun!" she beamed. "Being selected to be ANBU is an honor. You'll be amazing, I'm sure of it."

"Thank you," he murmured in reply, eyes never leaving her. "Though I think Kakashi is just playing favorites again."

"Pish posh," Sakura stated as she swatted at his arm. "You're more than qualified to do it. You're a terrific shinobi. Anyone would be blind if they didn't agree."

Sasuke felt the tips of his ears burn and he cleared his throat to get rid of any tightness he felt there. He wasn't used to the casual flattery his teammate would toss at him, not especially after his return. Back when they were children, it was normal. But now he felt undeserving of her praise, no matter how much he actually earned it.

"I'd hate to leave you hanging," she said, breaking him from his thoughts, "but I'm supposed to meet with Kakashi-sensei now that you're done. Why don't you go meet Naruto to give him the good news?"

Sasuke shook his head and looked down at the mask in his hands, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I think I'll tell him later. I'd like to go home first."

A knowing look passed in Sakura's eyes when he glanced back up at her, and she bid him a fond farewell before climbing the stairs of the tower.

The walk to the Uchiha graveyard was a somber one, quiet and reflective as Sasuke debated what he would say to them today. The mound of dirt at Itachi's plot finally settled about a year ago, right around the time Sasuke returned to the village. The dirt at his parents's grave had settled long ago, before he even defected to Orochimaru. Once he reached their gravestones, he knelt with respect and stared at them with a melancholy smile on his face.

"Mother, father," he turned to his brother's grave to the left, "Itachi... I was invited to join ANBU today." He sighed and looked at the mask cradled in his hands. "I didn't expect this to happen," he snorted humorlessly, "not that I expected a lot of my life to turn out the way it did. I just didn't think I would be here, holding your mask, Itachi, and preparing to follow in your footsteps. I have been striving to protect the village since you showed me the truth, nii-san. And I know you would be proud of me, now that I'm here."

His fingers traced the lines of the mask and he looked at the gravestone that bore his parents's names. "I hope you're proud of me, too, regardless of what I've done in the past. All I want is to atone for my sins, and yours, as well. Maybe being ANBU is the way to do this, so I can protect the village and bring back the Uchiha's honor."

A breeze picked up and caressed his face, making him close his eyes and breathe in the crisp smell of spring. The sakura tree in the grove had bloomed, and the petals were starting to flutter away in the wind. A small smile pulled at his lips, and the answer he was looking for was whispered in his ears. With a small prayer and another bow, Sasuke stood and brushed off his knees.

"Thank you," he murmured, grip tightening on the mask before he made his way to the exit.

* * *

_**Present Day** _

"A mission?"

Kakashi nodded and handed Sakura the missive. According to him, it was a simple recon mission: slip in, get the intel, and get out. The hardest part would be keeping hidden while the ANBU team infiltrated the enemy base and getting the actual information. She wasn't specifically supposed to know exactly who was on her team for this mission, but the second that she saw Naruto's and Sasuke's code names in the scroll, she felt her mouth tug into a smile and she readily accepted the Hokage's request.

The next morning, the former Team 7 departed from the gates of Konoha, masks on and weapons ready.

The base was hidden in the mountains of northern Fire Country, near the tri-borders of Fire, Hot Water, and Sound. The shinobi hidden there were of rogue nature, former collaborators with Orochimaru. Since Sound no longer wanted anything to do with anyone else, these rogues were attempting small scale attacks on local farming villages nearby. Unfortunately, their numbers were starting to grow and the sacking of so many villages was starting to cause a ripple in the supply chain that sustained Konoha. This team's mission was to find intel on the rogue group, find out what they were up to, assess their numbers, and bring the information back to the Hokage so the problem could be dealt with swiftly. If the team deemed it absolutely necessary, they could strike at the time of infiltration and get rid of the problem at the source. This was all depending on the situation.

Sakura was team leader of this mission, mainly due to Sasuke's inability to keep Naruto in line and Naruto's knack for making risky decisions last minute when with Sakura and Sasuke. Not that they weren't qualified for the task, it was just a given whenever the three teammates were assigned to missions together they would have Sakura take the reins and get the two boys in line for those reasons alone.

On the first night of traveling, guard shifts were split up and Sakura ended up with first watch. She preferred it that way, seeing she wouldn't be tired after getting up earlier and her sleep wouldn't be interrupted from a middle shift. Sasuke actually preferred those, saying that he got up at weird intervals anyway and it made no difference to him. His sleep cycles were always choppy, even when they were genin.

Naruto, on the other hand, could fall asleep on command, making it easier for him to rest while Sakura took watch and get enough rest before his early morning watch. With anyone else, the watch shifts were usually switched around, but it seemed that this was the pattern Team 7 always kept, even after all this time.

Sakura was setting up her bedroll when Sasuke approached her, mask on the top of his head and a conflicted look on his face. She glanced up at him and frowned. "What's going on?"

His mismatched eyes flickered around the camp and then back to her. With a sigh, he knelt down next to her and started, "Don't you think it's strange that we're being sent in ANBU for a simple recon mission? We could have gone as a regular squad and done the job just the same."

Sakura had been thinking the same thing during the trip, but she simply shrugged and gave him her guessed answer, "I think it may be because the base is so hard to break into. Plus, they can't know who is trying to take their secrets. Even if they are in Fire Country, these rogues are from all different nations. They have a lot of different colored targets on their backs and they're going to take extra precautions."

Sasuke hummed and nodded as an answer. Yet, as he stood he still added warily, "I still think there's something up and it's going to bite us in our asses."

Sakura smiled at him when she stood, placing a hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. "Always the worry-wort, Sasuke-kun."

He grumbled, but still Sakura saw the phantom of a smile on his perfect lips. As she watched him walk towards his own mat and lay down, she thought to herself with a confident grin, what's the worst that could happen?

* * *

**_tbc._ **


	2. Chapter 2

**_One week ago_ **

"Sasukeeeeh!" Naruto whined as he trotted behind Sasuke. "You can't be serious right now!"

Said man turned and glared at his counterpart, ignoring the searing desire to pummel him into the ground and leave him to die, and replied, "It needs to be done, dobe. And you can't stop me."

He kept walking, leaving a stunned Naruto behind before the jinchūriki sputtered and ran up behind him. "But I thought we talked about this! I doubt Kakashi-sensei will approve."

"And that's why Kakashi won't know about it," Sasuke replied, as if he were talking to a child. "At least, not until we're done."

" _We?_!" Naruto screeched when he grabbed Sasuke's arm. "Since when was I a part of this?"

"Since you decided to pester me and ask where I was going this late at night."

Naruto groaned, and Sasuke smiled to himself. It was nice being back in the village, with the people who cared about him, but there were a few loose ends that needed to be tied up before he could truly settle back in. There were people to be talked to, secrets to uncover, things to take back. Although his acceptance back into Konoha was not completely well-received, even after being back in Konoha for almost two years now, the only people that mattered were the ones that welcomed him. The others, however, could stick it.

What he was doing tonight, in particular, was technically illegal- considering it _was_ theft. But stealing something that was stolen from you could hardly be considered theft in Sasuke's eyes, as he explained to Naruto beforehand. After he left the village, the Uchiha manor was raided by petty thieves. Most things were locked up by seals that could only be broken by Sasuke himself, but there were some items that weren't as lucky.

His mother's jewelry box was one of those things.

It was a tiny little box, and the entire thing was stolen from his parents's room. He knew the box had a lock, but that could easily be broken. There was one item inside that he wanted back, the rest he couldn't care less about. This one particular piece needed to be given back to him. He had tracked down the thieves, which was hard enough with six-year-old clues, and demanded to find the buyer. The information was given to him quickly and quietly- reporting a threat by former international-criminal-but-now-reformed Uchiha Sasuke when you yourself are a thief, well, the Hokage wouldn't even bother with the testimony. Especially since said former international-criminal-but-now-reformed Uchiha Sasuke was the Hokage's prized pupil, then you would be out of your mind to even consider reporting it.

Sasuke was crouched outside the home of the buyer, a decrepit little place in one of the outside districts of the village. He was lucky that it hadn't been destroyed when the Akatsuki had attacked, but he wasn't lucky that it was the home of a lowlife thug that had always been in and out of jail.

"Sasuke, don't do this!" Naruto begged in a harsh whisper. "You're almost done with your community service hours! If you get caught breaking and entering, Kakashi won't be able to save your ass against the council this time."

The Uchiha glared at his whiskered friend. "And that's why you're going to make sure no one sees me. Besides, I won't get caught."

Naruto gave him a deadpanned look. "That arrogance is what started _all_ this shit in the first place."

"I'm going to ignore that you said that," Sasuke muttered, feeling his ears burn a little bit before he leapt up onto the wall of the house and pried open one of the windows with a kunai. He turned to his friend on the ground and whispered harshly, "Keep your eyes and ears peeled. I'll be out in two minutes."

"And if you're not?"

Sasuke climbed in through the window without answering and flashed his friend a smirk. Naruto wouldn't have to worry about that at all.

* * *

Sakura had the items in sight. The intel they were looking for was in the scrolls on the table below them. There were three on top of what looked like a map of Fire Country, marked with the locations of small farming and fishing villages that provided most of the food for Konoha.

Sasuke leaned towards her, lifted his mask to just above his mouth, and murmured in her ear, "What do you say, Team Leader? Take the stuff and scram or wait until someone comes in and unknowingly gives us more information?"

She narrowed her eyes and replied quietly, "We'll have to put a genjutsu on the room and a replacement jutsu on the items so they won't realize they are gone so quickly. Naruto, can you make the replacement? Sasuke, cast the genjutsu so if anyone enters won't catch on so quickly."

Quiet affirmations followed and the soft sounds of her boys moving around filled the air of the otherwise deathly silent room. She watched as Naruto dropped to the ground, snatched up the scrolls and map, and tucked them into his hip holster. He then cast the replacement jutsu so fakes sat in the same exact place they once had been. At the same time, the cold sensation of Sasuke's genjutsu washed over her and she grinned beneath her mask as Naruto leapt back to the ceiling and followed her and Sasuke back through the air shafts.

About five minutes into their slow and silent trek towards where the team entered the shafts, Sakura held up her hand, signalling her partners to stop. There was a strange commotion beneath them, and she was determined to find out what it was. If they had been figured out already, escaping the compound was going to be a lot harder than originally anticipated. She turned to Naruto, nodded, and he focused on sensing the people shuffling around beneath them.

She couldn't read his face beneath his fox mask, but when he nodded his head and held up four fingers, she frowned. Four enemies under them, shinobi based on his nod. In the rear, Sasuke held up his hand and pointed behind him. Sakura perked up and heard more sounds coming from the room they had broken into.

Someone found out already.

_"Shit."_

"Sakura-chan, I can send out a shadow clone," Naruto offered in a soft whisper. "It'll distract them while we escape."

"That might be too risky," Sasuke remarked from behind, voice barely louder than a breath. "If they broke my genjutsu so fast, then they must be cunning shinobi and can easily catch onto a shadow clone."

Deflated, Naruto hissed, "Well then what do you suggest? The mission scroll said they possibly had a sensor in the compound. We can't stay here forever, not when we all have such strong chakras."

They both turned to her and Sasuke murmured, "Okay, Team Leader. What's your call?"

Sakura frowned. This was what she was afraid of. They could easily be caught if they stayed in one place, but if they tried to leave when the whole base was in an uproar from the missing intel, then they could be taken out just as fast. They couldn't transport anywhere until they were out of the compound, due to the flairs of chakra they emit when using that jutsu.

With a sigh, Sakura said lowly, "Let's get out of here as quickly and quietly as we can. Once we're out of the building, we transport to the woods and run like hell. Do you still have your radios?"

Both men nodded.

"Okay, turn them on once you get to a safe place. We'll rendezvous from there."

"What if one of us is caught?" Naruto dared to ask.

Sakura and Sasuke locked eyes over Naruto's shoulder, and the grim somberness in his stare echoed her own. She took a deep breath and replied quietly, "Then you served the Village Hidden in the Leaves with honor."

There was another shout beneath them and Sakura barely had time to register someone shout, "ABOVE!" before a fire blast erupted underneath their feet. The air shaft collapsed, bringing Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke with it. There were eight enemy shinobi surrounding them now, all preparing to attack. Without hesitating, so did Team 7.

Naruto called to his shadow clones first, producing three before pouncing on the closest enemy to his right. Sasuke charged his chidori to his sword and struck at the one in front of him. Sakura had gathered her chakra, not hesitating before striking the man in front of her. He was flung across the room, smashing into the wall and falling unconscious. She didn't have time to revel in her easy knock out before another shinobi leapt into action.

This one was a lot harder to combat, having a rope dart to keep her at a distance, and producing many other weapons with his free hand. After ducking under a barrage of shuriken, Sakura barely had the time to dodge another swing of the knife when she heard Sasuke shout in pain. She glanced at him to see him clutching his arm to his chest momentarily, unfortunately having three shinobi ganging up on him and starting to inflict damage.

Naruto's clones were holding off many of the arriving enemies, basically blocking the doors from letting any more enter the room. But the skill level of these rogues were higher than Sakura had anticipated and they were quickly getting outmatched.

Then, someone happened to drop a smoke bomb and Sakura decided she spoke too soon.

The distinct sound of shadow clones being destroyed rang in her ears and Sakura barely registered the sound of an approaching enemies until it was too late. She countered blows that came from the front, but then there was a slash and a horribly agonizing pain in her lower back. Sakura screamed, not being able to control her body as it crumpled to the floor in a heap. It was sharp and harsh, throbbing up and down her back and the cool sensation of poison filled her system.

Through the muffled sounds drowned out by her own dizzying pain and frantic heartbeat, Sakura dimly heard Sasuke shout her code name before thrusting his sword into the neck of the shinobi he was parrying. Sakura watched as he fought tooth and nail against the others, doing her best to just _move_ and help, but her legs were just not cooperating. On the other side of the room, she saw Naruto kick one rogue in the chest then having to throw another off his back before he could be struck down. But he didn't see the shinobi on his right approach, and Naruto was quickly bound in that stupid rope dart and kicked in the head.

Knocked out, Naruto was getting pulled away down the hall and out of her sight, leaving her and Sasuke alone with the rest of the rogues.

Sakura couldn't stand to watch as Sasuke got struck again, this time through the chest with a sword. His shout was loud and painful, and she could imagine him gritting his teeth as he grabbed the blade and sent an electric shock down the metal, frying the man holding it. The smell of blood and burning flesh filled the air, mixing with the smell of the poison in her own system. Sakura concentrated her chakra, tapping into her byakugou and burning it out of her body. She tried to stand, but her legs were just not responding. She fell back to the floor and she cursed again.

Her heart was racing and panic was settling in, gripping hard and yanking her focus in five different directions as more and more ninja fell to the floor.

She watched as Sasuke broke the neck of another shinobi, leaving him to face one last man. But his focus on the falling enemy didn't give him time to react to the one approaching him at full force. A long knife was dragged across Sasuke's stomach, slicing him open. Sasuke yelled in shock and pain for a split second, then he turned to face his attacker as his blood starting to spill out and drip onto the floor. Without thinking, Sakura reached into her pouch and gripped a kunai. Focusing her chakra with her precise aim, she threw it at her enemy and it hit him right in the stomach.

With her distraction, Sasuke grabbed his sword and slit the man's throat. The enemy fell to the floor, leaving Sasuke standing in front of the bodies of the people he killed. It was then that Sakura realized his mask had been knocked askew and his face had a small cut across his cheek. He lifted his hazy gaze to her, just for a moment, before he fell to his knees and collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

"You did _what_ exactly?"

Sasuke shuffled his feet on the floor, glaring daggers at Naruto through his bangs. His friend had ceremoniously dragged him back to the Hokage's tower right after he jumped out of the open window. He wasn't caught, thank goodness, but Naruto had some type of moral obligation to immediately tell Kakashi that Sasuke had broken into someone's home to steal something.

"To be fair, it was his thing that he was stealing back," Naruto added meekly, using Sasuke's own words for defense.

Kakashi just glared at him before returning his gaze to Sasuke. "You do realize that if you had been caught, it would have violated your probation and you would be stripped of your shinobi status?"

"Yes."

"And the council would have been free to execute their original punishment for you?"

"Yes."

Kakashi took a deep breath and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "What exactly is so important that you had to break into a complete stranger's house and steal back?"

Sasuke dug into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was indeed one of a kind. Strung on a white gold strand was a small uncut diamond, rough yet sparkling as it caught the light. It was an intricately beautiful thing, dainty yet still strong.

Perfect for who he wanted to give it to.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose, waiting for an explanation.

Sasuke sighed and cradled the necklace in his palm. "This was my mother's. My home was raided after I defected and it was stolen. I figured out who had stolen the item, tracked them down and found out they had sold it in the underground market. They told me who bought it and I went and took it back. It's the only thing I took and I didn't damage anything."

"If you had, I would be disappointed," Kakashi said, mirth tinging his tone. It quickly turned serious again when he asked, "But why? Surely there's a reason behind getting this necklace other than nostalgia."

Sasuke's ears burned again and he was certain his cheeks were starting to match. Naruto knew the reason he had gone through with this, that's the only reason he had tagged along to find out what exactly he was doing to get it. Naruto was grinning ear to ear, bouncing on his toes in giddy excitement. Sasuke would have glared at him again, but he decided it wasn't in his best interest.

So he took a deep breath and looked Kakashi in the eye as he said simply, "I was going to give it to Sakura."

* * *

_**tbc.** _


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura dragged herself across the floor, her pace torturously slow as she pulled herself to Sasuke's prone body. His breathing was ragged and shallow, rattling around his chest as he struggled to move. His eyes fluttered open and he gasped for another breath, letting some blood trickle out of his mouth and down his cheek. She dug her elbow into the ground, slowly pulling herself closer to him.

"Hold on Sasuke-kun," she grunted, "we're going to get out of this, I promise."

A forlorn grin tugged at his blood-stained lips and he replied hoarsely, "Don't make... promises... you can't keep."

She glared at him, now finally right next to his body, and she cupped his cheek with her hand, "Don't be such an ass, especially when you're dying. I'm going to heal you the best I can and we're going to get out of here."

He turned his head away from her as soon as a coughing fit hit him, splattering blood on the floor and part of his shoulder. He was gasping for air again, pain riddling his features as he tried to get a hold of himself. "What... about... Naruto?"

Sakura dropped her gaze to his chest and did her best to focus on healing the largest stab wound there. Her chakra was by no means low, but she couldn't risk tapping into her seal to heal him, not when she needed it to finish healing herself and to get them back home. And if Sasuke is healthy enough, he could possibly use Susano'o as well to carry them, if need be. As for Naruto, for all she knew he could have escaped already and was waiting to rendezvous with the rest of his team.

"We'll worry about him once we get out of here," Sakura said softly, doing her best to soothe him. Her chakra glowed, causing haunting shadows to cross Sasuke's pain-stricken face. "Right now, you're my number one concern."

"What about you?" he managed to choke out.

Sakura frowned. She still couldn't feel her legs, to the point where even trying to move them was impossible. They felt like dead-weight rag doll legs instead of her own strong ones. She huffed, "I'll be fine. Like I said, you're my number one concern."

She peeked at his face again, just to see if he was still with her. He was still conscious, but struggling to remain that way. He was obviously uncomfortable with their positioning, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She was leaning on his body, not able to sit up properly, as she attempted to heal the deepest stab wound in his chest. A few of his ribs were broken, and one his lungs had been pierced when the rogue thrust his sword into Sasuke's chest- both things she wouldn't be able to fix properly in the field. There were cuts all over his arms and his wrist was broken, dangling at an awkward angle on the floor by her hip, and not to mention the deep gash in his stomach where the last rogue had slashed him before Sasuke slit his throat.

If she didn't work fast, he would either die from blood loss or his lungs filling up with his blood and suffocating him.

Her eyebrows pinched together as she asked him, "Why didn't you use Susano'o? Or Amaterasu? You wouldn't be this hurt if you had."

Sasuke coughed, causing more blood to come out of his mouth, and he croaked roughly, "Can't be identified... If I had used it... they would know who I am... can't compromise the mission."

He seemed out of breath after answering her, and quickly went into another fit of hacking coughs. If she wasn't trained for this kind of situation, she would have been panicking at the sheer amount of blood he was losing and had been covered in, just because he was Sasuke.

"Hold on, Sasuke-kun."

He gave her an ironic smile, chuckling to himself, as he murmured, "This isn't... what I had in mind... when I thought I was... following in Itachi's footsteps."

Sakura cast him another sad glance right as she sealed up the stab would to the best of her ability. Unfortunately because of its depth, she could only do the surface and none of the internal damage right now. So the best she could do is move on to the gash on his stomach. "Don't say things like that. You're going to make it."

"How... do you... know?"

"Because you've never given up before," she replied simply. "I wouldn't expect you to now."

His eyes opened, showing her a dull and faded obsidian, and he gave her a weak smile. It was moments like this that time seemed to stand still, when Sasuke looked in her eyes like this. It conveyed what his words or actions couldn't, and right now it told her that he trusted her and her abilities to get him out of this. She blinked away the tears that were starting to gather in her eyes and continued pushing her chakra around the closing gap in his torso.

"Can you reach into my pack on my hip?" she asked.

"No... hand's broken."

_Oh, right._

Sakura sighed and took one of her hands off of the gash. Although she was still manipulating her chakra into healing the wound, it wasn't as potent with one hand instead of two. She reached behind her and pulled a pack of pills out of her pouch. Opening up the container, she supplied a blood replenishing pill for Sasuke and brought it to his mouth.

"Open and chew. You're losing too much blood."

He nodded and opened his mouth as best as he could, taking the pill and crushing it between his teeth. He swallowed it, along with a bunch of his own blood- causing him to cringe and gag- and he relaxed against the ground, eyes shutting in the process.

"Good boy," she murmured, deciding that what she had closed up on his stomach was the most she could do now. As she put gauze in the parts she couldn't heal- which was unfortunately most of the wound- she observed the rest of his injuries. The small cuts and punctures could wait until they were out of enemy territory, and she was starting to run too low on chakra to heal his broken wrist. She'd have to set it with a splint and heal it later. For now, she felt he was safe enough that they could move.

"Sasuke, I'm going to set your wrist," she started, gingerly taking his hand between her own. "I can't waste anymore chakra on healing if we need to get out of here, so I'll fix it when we get out of danger. But for right now, I need you to stay conscious and try not to scream."

Sasuke's eyes opened again, albeit just a smidgen, and he nodded before lifting his other arm and smothering his mouth in the crook of his elbow. Sakura pulled a blank scroll out of her pack and used that as a crude splint, setting it aside before she took the wrist and set it straight. Sasuke's muffled yell almost stunned her, but she ignored it to the best of her ability as she placed the scroll under his wrist and wrapped it tightly with a bandage. It would have to do until they were safe.

The sound of approaching scuffle reached her ears and she cursed her luck. She flashed a panicked look to Sasuke and then her legs, then proceeded to cuss under her breath. This mission was not going according to plan at all, and she couldn't figure a way out.

It began to feel like all hope was lost.

The shouting was coming closer, getting louder as footsteps thundered down the hall. Sakura took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around Sasuke's shoulders, ignoring his grunt of pain, and she whispered, "I'm sorry I couldn't get us out. It was a honor being your teammate, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke wrapped his good arm around her back and he held her closer, burying his face in her matted hair. He mumbled something against her scalp, but she couldn't hear it over the roaring of her blood in her ears and the loud footsteps on the other side of the door.

This was it.

The door slammed open and Sakura cringed against Sasuke's chest, trying to protect him the best she could. It was the most she could do now.

"Oi! Sakura-chan! Sasuke! We need to get out of here!"

* * *

He was fidgeting again. Sasuke really hoped Sakura wouldn't notice, but with the way his hand kept fiddling with his pocket and then withdrawing only to go back a minute later, she was bound to notice. He swallowed the thickness in his throat and ignored Naruto's dumb advice in the back of his head.

_"You'll be fine, teme. She'll love it!"_

_"That's not what I'm worried about, dobe."_

_"Oh ho! He admits he's worried," Naruto teased after slurping his noodles. "I don't know why you are though, she's been in love with you since we were kids. She'll accept it no matter what."_

_"I'm not so sure," Sasuke replied, looking down to his own bowl and frowning. "I don't deserve her. What if I mess up?"_

_Naruto sighed and laid his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "You remember what you told me when we fought for the last time?"_

_Sasuke scoffed and prodded his food. "I said a lot of shit then, Naruto. Most of which I'd like to forget."_

_When Naruto shook his head and squeezed Sasuke's shoulder, the Uchiha looked up to his friend as he said, "Well, I won't let you. Believe it, you bastard. You had told me that the bonds you had with our team were the most precious things to you, and that's why you needed to sever them. You said it would make you stronger, and save us the pain of caring for you, when all that did was bring us agony- bunch of bullshit, I may add."_

_Sasuke harrumphed and placed his chopsticks down, a bitter scowl on his face. "What are you getting at, Naruto?"_

_"What I'm saying is you care about us, and no matter what you do we will care about you, too," Naruto supplied before shoveling more food into his mouth. Sasuke remained silent until he swallowed and continued, "Sakura-chan loves you so much. She always has. And the bond you two have is unbelievable, it's even more incredible than the one you and I have- and we're reincarnated brothers!"_

_Sasuke had to chuckle at that._

_"Believe me when I say that you two deserve each other more than you think," Naruto added. "I'm just surprised it took you so long."_

_"I was kind of out of the country for a few years, in case you forgot," Sasuke replied after swallowing the rest of his food. "And since then, I've been busy with my community service missions and getting my home habitable again."_

_"And spending time with Sakura-chan," Naruto teased in a sing-song voice._

_It was then that Sasuke felt his cheeks get hot._

_Naruto patted him on the back again and simply said, "Just tell her. She'll love it regardless."_

Sasuke sighed and he rubbed his temple with the heel of his hand.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?"

He glanced over to Sakura, her bright green eyes glittering under long lashes. She smiled reassuringly at him, taking his hand away from his face and wrapping her hand around his arm. He usually was affronted by such bold displays of affection, but when it came to Sakura he didn't mind one bit.

"I'm fine," he said simply. _Just tell her._ He stopped in his tracks, stopping Sakura with him, and he put his hand in his pocket again, pulling the necklace into his palm. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"Is it about the mission?" she asked, perking up. "We'll be fine, don't worry."

He sighed again and shook his head. "No, it's not that. What I wanted to say- or want to give- _crap_." He frowned and started again, "Sakura, we've known each other for a long time and even though I left- no, _shit_." He rubbed his face with his free hand again and took a deep breath. Sakura was looking up with him with those stupidly expressive eyes, smiling lovingly and patiently as he calmed himself and gathered his thoughts.

She was such an intricate beauty, admirable in both her physical and mental prowess, and she had a heart of gold. How could she not after loving someone like him for so long? She wanted him, and no one else. And now he's gotten off his lazy ass and felt he could finally reciprocate her affections.

Sasuke's heart hammered in his chest.

"Sakura, I-..." He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and offered it to her. "I know this timing is horrible, but when we get back from our mission, I'd like to take you out. On a real date."

Sakura stared at the necklace, eyes wide and mouth soft in shock. She reached for it, trembling fingers touching the rough diamond, before she looked up at him with glassy eyes. "Are you asking me out, Sasuke-kun?"

He gave her a small nod followed by a loose shrug, feeling his heart race even faster.

She smiled, and nodded silently, turning around and moving her hair off of her neck. He took that as a yes and reached around her head, bringing the necklace to dangle on her chest, and fastened it. As soon as he was done, she whirled around and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest as she murmured her thanks.

He hummed as he tentatively returned the hug and said simply, "Don't be so annoying."

* * *

**_tbc._ **


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto was running in double-time. Or would it technically be quadruple-time, considering he and one of his shadow clones were carrying his teammates through the forests, heading south back to Konoha? He really had no idea. Sasuke was unconscious on his own back, while Sakura had her arms wrapped around a shadow clone's neck, hands sealed as she focused her chakra. She apparently was having difficulty healing the damage to her legs, even with Creation Rebirth. For some reason, whatever those rogue ninjas had done to her was impervious to her technique.

"Ugh!" she shouted, releasing her seal and slumping against the clone and pouting. "I don't understand what is going on! I still can't feel my legs!"

"Maybe they just fell asleep?" Naruto supplied, giving a weak but hopeful smile.

She glared at him, the real him, and stated, "I can't even move them, Naruto. Whatever was in that poison, it's still affecting me even though I got it out of my body."

Naruto frowned and he looked forward again. He tightened his grip on Sasuke's thighs, and began to push himself even more. "Well, we will figure it out when we get back to the village. But we need to get Sasuke to the hospital and so he can get helped."

Fear gripped his heart and he did his best to hide it from Sakura. Sasuke had taken quite a beating, and even with Sakura patching him up in the compound he was so bent out of shape he was unconscious by the time they hobbled out of the building. Naruto's shadow clones had taken out most of the rogues, clearing a way to the exit so they could escape before the rest of the army went after them.

Things would be easier if Sasuke was awake, or at least not dying. He would have been able to get them out of there in a flash. Though he had taken out what looked like ten shinobi before falling himself. Naruto ran his thumb against the mask strapped to Sasuke's belt. Despite what some citizens of Konoha thought, he deserved his place in ANBU. The way he fought so hard to protect his friends tonight was awe-inspiring and could easily disprove anyone's doubts.

But the way his heartbeat was becoming weak and erratic was not doing anything to soothe Naruto's nerves. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke is getting weak. I'm going to run faster, so don't complain about being jostled."

Sakura sighed and tightened her grip on the clone's shoulders. "When have I ever?"

As soon as Naruto put as much speed into his strides as he could, he laughed at Sakura's shocked outburst before he focused on the trip ahead. He had already been running for a few hours, long enough to see the sun starting to light the sky, and he knew it would be another two or three hours until they reached the gates of Konoha at this speed. Sasuke's chakra signature was steadily fading, and his breathing was getting even more shallow as it puffed against his neck.

"Shit, Sakura I don't think I'll make it before we lose him!" Naruto cried, shutting his eyes.

Sakura cursed again- much like a sailor today, Naruto mused- and she reached into her pack on her hip. Pulling out a scroll, she motioned for Naruto and his clone to stop. The clone set her down and disappeared in a poof, leaving her on the ground as she unfurled the scroll.

Naruto leaned over her as she bit her thumb and began marking on the paper. "What are you doing?"

"Tsunade gave me this to use in only the utmost of emergencies," Sakura replied as she finished the seal. "I thought Sasuke was going to be fine enough to make the trip without any issues, but I was horribly mistaken." She reached out to him and put her hand on top of his, right where she could touch Sasuke's thigh at the same time. "Hold on tight."

"Wait, what am I supposed to hold on to?!"

Sakura didn't give him an answer. She slammed her chakra-filled hand down on the center of the seal and suddenly Naruto felt like he was being sucked through a straw. It was so similar to traveling through dimensions or using his father's Flying Thunder God technique. He had to gasp for air as soon as they stopped moving, and blink a few times to clear the tears away.

As soon as his sight returned, he realized what Sakura had done: they had been transported to the Konoha hospital emergency room.

The stunned faces of the medical staff surrounded him, but it took almost no time for the team to be swept up and ushered to different rooms. Sasuke was taken off of his back and almost immediately hooked up to a monitor, outfit stripped away and put at his feet on the gurney they laid him on. He heard one of the head medics hollering that Sasuke was flat-lining and panic seized at his heart. Naruto stared with wide eyes as Sasuke was pushed out of sight right as they started CPR. He would have followed, if not for the medic holding him back and the doors closing the hallway off.

Sakura was lifted from the floor and put into a wheelchair, all while she was ordering the medics around and asking where the heck Tsunade was. He could see the agonizing dread in her eyes as she kept flickering her gaze to the hall where Sasuke had disappeared. It wasn't until she was out of sight that anyone paid attention to him. A nurse tugged on his arm, but he just stared blankly at the hall.

"Naruto-san, we need to check you for injuries."

He waved her off and gave her a weak smile. "I'm fine. Not even a scratch."

She looked at him uncertainly, but silently nodded as she walked away. Naruto waited a minute before heading in the direction Sakura had been carted off to, listening for her shrill orders and the sound of squeaking wheels. He rounded the corner and found her being pushed into one of the bigger rooms, right as Tsunade came from the other side of the hallway. Quickly, Naruto caught up and followed the former Hokage into the room, eyes immediately on Sakura.

"I felt the jutsu you used to get here," Tsunade exclaimed. Her quick strides brought her right to Sakura as she spoke. "What happened?"

"I'm fine, shishou, I promise," Sakura assured her teacher. "Although I got all the poison out, I have no idea why I can't move my legs. Even after using Creation Rebirth, they're still limp as dead fish."

Tsunade approached her student with a quizzical look in her eyes, not even looking to him as she spoke, "Naruto, explain!"

He didn't even realize she noticed his presence. "Uhh... we got in a fight during our mission. I don't know exactly what happened to Sakura-chan but nothing seems to make her better."

The sannin gave a stiff nod before leaning down and lifting Sakura up onto the bed, laying her face-down. She studied Sakura's back for a moment, moving the fabric of her uniform away as she prodded the flawless skin there. Right when Tsunade coated her hand with chakra, Naruto had a hard time looking away, out of nerves and curiosity. If Sasuke was about to die and Sakura couldn't walk, what was he going to do?

"Well, everything is healed," Tsunade said after withdrawing her chakra from Sakura's back. "It seems like the poison that had been in your system damaged your chakra networks and they can't be healed with our techniques. This is strange..."

Sakura looked up to her teacher and was about to speak, but the radio on Tsunade's hip buzzed and she quickly lifted it to her mouth.

"What's up?"

From what Naruto could tell, Shizune was on the other side and she responded, "We need you in room 223. Sasuke-san has lost a lot of blood and we can't handle all his injuries on our own-" There was a weird sound, and all Naruto could hear was a long, uninterrupted beep. "Crap! We're losing him! Hurry, Tsunade!"

Naruto's heart seized in his chest, not believing what he just heard. He looked to Sakura, who looked just as panicked and stricken as he felt. Sasuke couldn't be dying! What would they do if he didn't make it? He had been the driving force for both of them for so long, and losing him right after he willingly came back to them would be a crushing blow. Tears began burning in Naruto's eyes and he felt sick to his stomach. They couldn't lose him...

Tsunade cursed, and she replied, "I'll be right there." She sighed as she turned to Naruto and Sakura. "I delegated Shizune to take care of Sasuke but they need me. Sakura, the most you can do right now is rest. I'd say it should get better with that but this is something I've never seen before. So the best we can do is guess. Naruto, stay here. I don't need you interfering in my operating room."

Before either could answer, Tsunade rushed out of the room and out of sight. The room was deathly silent, save for the muffled sounds of the hospital around them and the shaking of Sakura's breathing. Naruto's head was swimming with his fear, his heart beating a dark tattoo against his chest. Kurama was trying to calm him down, but nothing was working. His breathing was ragged, as much as Sakura's.

Wait- Sakura!

It wasn't until Naruto noticed her uneven breathing that he saw her crying, face down in the pillow as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. At the sight of her, all of his pain vanished and hid away. He rushed to her side and rubbed her back, soothing her as best as he could.

"He'll be fine, Sakura-chan," he promised, not even believing his forced words. "When has the bastard ever given up so easily?"

Sakura sniffed, wiping her nose on her arm, and turned to look Naruto in the eye. Her eyes were glassy and red, lips trembling as she whispered, "But what if he doesn't? I'm trying so hard to keep a level head, because we just messed up so much and one of us needs to stay calm, but Sasuke-kun is in there dying and I can't save him!"

Naruto cracked a smile and unlatched his holster. Opening the flap and bringing it to Sakura's gaze, he showed her the intel he swiped. Sakura eyed it, shocked to say the least, and he stated simply, "We didn't fail. And we'll all be alright, okay?"

Sakura managed a watery smile and nod before she buried her face in her arms again, her soft crying filling the silence.

From what he could see, she was gripping the necklace Sasuke had given her.

* * *

The first thing he felt was pain.

Everywhere.

Aching and throbbing throughout his whole body with every beat of his heart. Whatever this was, whatever had happened, it was so hellish that Sasuke cursed the fact that he even woke up. In sleep, he wouldn't be feeling this pain. He just needed to go back to sleep.

The second thing he felt was pressure, along with the muffled sounds of frantic voices all around him.

As something pressed down on his stomach, he heard someone say, "Okay. His lungs are healed enough now that it won't be an issue anymore. His heartbeat is stable but his pressure is down. Noriko, go get another bag of blood, Meizu, I need you to finish splinting the bone. It's refusing to be set and healed with chakra. For now, it needs to be put in a cast."

There were two responding, 'Hai, Tsunade-sama's, and it was then that Sasuke figured out the former Hokage was the one pressing down on his stomach.

"Dammit, Shizune! Why won't this wound close properly?!"

"I don't know," he assumed Shizune replied, "Sakura seemed to do most of the healing in the field. I don't understand why it's not finishing up now."

"Dammit, dammit, _dammit_!" Tsunade bellowed. The pressure on Sasuke's stomach receded and he began feeling faint again. "I wouldn't doubt it's that damn poison. She can't heal her legs, his wounds aren't closing... Get me thread and a needle. We're going to do this the old fashioned way, too."

Though the pain in his whole body was already overwhelming his consciousness, Sasuke was awake just long enough to hear Tsunade whisper as she pierced his skin with the first stitch, "Dammit, Kakashi, what did you get them into?"

* * *

Sakura had barely fell asleep when the door to her room was slammed open. She jumped up- well shifted, more like it- and faced the intruder, only to relax when she saw Sai and Yamato entering the room.

Before she or Naruto could speak, Yamato cut them off and said firmly, "The Hokage is almost here."

Peaking around Yamato's shoulder, Sai gave Sakura a warm smile and asked, "How are you doing, Ugly?"

Sakura scowled and grunted in reply, not bothering to give him an answer after his _affectionate_ nickname resurfaced. Instead, Naruto stood and addressed their teammates.

"We kind of ran into trouble during our mission," he supplied, rubbing the back of his neck in a very _Naruto-just-got-in-trouble way_. "But we got the intel we went for, plus we took out a good bulk of the enemy forces on our way out."

Yamato just gave him a deadpan stare as he stated, "And Sasuke being half-dead and Sakura paralyzed equals a mission success to you?"

Naruto blanched. "Well, not exactly-"

"Did you happen to get any of the poison that is inflicting them both?" Yamato asked, his voice still even but his eyes getting more and more frightening.

It was then that Naruto grinned and pulled a vial out of his pouch. "When the rogues knocked me out, they brought me to one of the holding cells in the basement of the compound. I came to pretty quickly and took out the guys that dragged me down there. On my way back to where Sakura-chan and Sasuke were fighting the other guys, I passed a lab of some sorts and swiped this. I knew they had used it on Sakura-chan, 'cause it smelled the same, so I figured it was important."

Throughout Naruto's explanation, Yamato seemed more and more impressed. His arms unfolded and he propped them on his hips. "That's pretty remarkable, Naruto. I'm amazed that you pulled through."

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei didn't promote me to ANBU just for my good looks," Naruto remarked with a wink.

As if summoned by the mention of his name, Kakashi appeared in the doorway, dressed too casually for a typical Hokage visit- but then again, when wasn't Kakashi against the norms? He walked in, approached Sakura first and patted her head before asking, "What's the damage?"

Sakura huffed, feeling her hopelessness take grip on her heart again. "Nothing. My spinal cord is perfect, my chakra pathways are uninterrupted... It's like the poison that had been in my system just cut everything off without leaving a trace."

Kakashi hummed, then turned to Naruto. "I overheard that you grabbed some of the poison?"

Naruto silently handed him the vial, as well as the intel from the mission. Kakashi eyed it for a while, opening the scrolls and reading them in the dim lighting of her hospital room. He hummed when he crossed some certain information, squinted at others, and then he gripped the vial tighter in his hand as he got to the end of the second scroll.

"Well, it seems you three may have foiled and exposed an international threat without realizing it," Kakashi remarked with a pleasant tone. "This poison here was going to be sold on the black market as a part of chemical warfare. It does indeed cut off chakra and paralyze the limb it has come in contact with, but without the antidote the effects will remain even if the poison itself has been removed. It's almost as if it latches onto your chakra networks and inhibits any movement or improvement. It is a sophisticated formula, but we have most the information needed to create an antidote. There's just some of this I can't decipher. It's in code."

As Kakashi handed Sakura the scrolls, Sai turned to Naruto and asked him, "You wouldn't have happened to swipe the antidote as well, dickless?"

At that, Naruto deflated. "No..."

"That is quite unfortunate," Sai replied simply. "But Sakura seems to have extensive knowledge of poisons and antidotes, as well. Perhaps she can conjure up something that can counteract the poison?"

Sakura barely heard what Sai had said, for her attention was almost devoted entirely to the stolen scrolls in front of her. According to the intel, the poison's chemical composition was so intricate it would take the most steady of hands to create a properly working antidote. The scroll also explained the problem with her legs not healing right and Sasuke's wounds not healing with any chakra-aided healing. From what Tsunade told her when she visited right before Sakura tried to get some rest, Sasuke was now in a coma and the majority of his wounds had to be stitched shut. Even his bones were refusing to fuse under coercion of chakra.

"I might be able to," Sakura murmured as she scanned the scroll another time. "But I'll need a shower and clean clothes first. And someone will need to wheel me to the lab on the fifth floor so I have all the right materials. And let's see if Shizune is available to help me. She's pretty adept at poisons and antidotes, too. And give Tsunade this scroll. Maybe she can get us some information that'll help."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'll go get the wheelchair-"

"Naruto," Kakashi cut in, causing the jinchūriki to pause in throwing his fist in the air and stare inquisitively at his Hokage. "Sakura would like to shower first. Let's go give Tsunade the information and visit Sasuke."

Naruto's cheeks turned a little red before he scrambled to a more demure stance and nodded quickly. "Right. Sorry, Sakura-chan. I'll call your mom and have her bring you some clean clothes. And we'll go see the bastard for you while you're cleaning up."

Sakura felt her heart drop at the thought of Sasuke again. He was so weak right now, and there was nothing anyone could do about it until a successful antidote is created. Her hand went up to the necklace around her neck and she nodded while the boys went on their way. Before she could even suggest it, Yamato came to her and pulled her into his arms.

"There's no wheelchair in here to take you to the shower," he told her as he carried her to the bathroom. "There's a chair in there for you to sit on while you clean up, though. I brought you the soaps from your locker, too."

Sakura giggled when he set her down on the chair in the shower. "How thoughtful! You're too kind to me, Yamato-taichou. Thank you."

He patted the top of her head and gave her a warm smile. "I'm just trying to help."

"And I appreciate it," she said, taking his hand. "This mission was hard... I just want this all to be over."

"It will," he replied softly. "I have faith that you all will pull through."

With his final word, Yamato left her in the shower and alone for the first time since the mission started.

* * *

**_tbc._ **


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you guys tell I'm a slut for making Sasuke suffer?

His head was throbbing.

There was so much going on around him, spiraling and twirling out of his control, spinning round and round until it consumed him in pure darkness. He thought by now he would have at least felt the pain from his injuries, but it felt like he wasn't even connected to his body anymore. Everything was discombobulated, scattered in the wind and floating into nothingness.

Needless to say, Sasuke was really, really confused.

It wasn't until he heard Naruto speaking to him, jolting him from the blackness, that he tried to listen.

"Hey, Sasuke," he had said to him. "You look like shit."

Naruto chuckled to himself and Sasuke thought in the back of his mind that he would like to punch him in the face for that comment. But alas, his body was just not responding to his thoughts.

"Kakashi got our mission report already. I was nice enough to write the initial one for everyone, by the way. Kakashi expects yours once you've woken up and get out of here. I don't know if you heard us, but we all came to visit you. Even Sai and Yamato came in to see how you were doing."

No, Sasuke mused, he didn't hear anyone. It wasn't until it was just Naruto speaking to him that he registered anything around him. But even then, all he could sense was Naruto's stupid voice echoing around his head. _Idiot._

"Tsunade couldn't heal everything, with the poison in you and all."

_Poison? What poison?_

"Apparently those rogues had created a really sophisticated poison that cuts off all chakra networks, and prohibits any new chakra from being created or entering the body, especially at the site of where the poison itself entered," Naruto supplied, sounding as if he was just repeating what someone else had told him. "It's why most of your wounds didn't heal when Sakura-chan tried to fix them right after the fight. I guess the guys who cut your stomach had only a little on his blade so it wasn't enough to completely hold back Sakura-chan's chakra from healing you partially."

_Sakura? Where is she? Is she okay?_

As if he read Sasuke's mind, Naruto said softly, "Sakura-chan is fine. Because of the poison, she can't fully heal her legs. The guy who cut her back got the poison into her spinal cord and it caused her some paralysis. At least, that's what she thinks. A full dose of the poison causes paralyzation, but we don't know why it didn't affect you. Maybe because it was just so little that the effects weren't complete."

Sasuke felt his mind deflate and a crushing sadness washed over his consciousness. He couldn't protect her and now she can't walk.

"But Sakura-chan is going to create an antidote and I wouldn't doubt that will help with her legs and all your wounds," Naruto cheerfully exclaimed, his optimism showing. "And then I can go back to kicking your ass all the time."

_You wish, dobe._

"Yeah, yeah, I know: I wish. In my dreams, not likely," Naruto drawled. Sasuke could imagine him waving his hand dismissively and leaning back in his chair- if he was even sitting- and he added in a quieter tone, "I just wish things didn't come to this. Tsunade said the amount of blood and chakra you lost and the strain your body is going through caused you to go into this coma-"

_A coma?! But I'm awake! I can hear you!_

"-and she says you probably won't wake up until the poison's effects are reversed and your chakra rebuilds itself. I know you're tough, so it won't be much of a fight for you once Sakura-chan gets the antidote. I brought her to the lab a little while ago so she could work on it, as a matter of fact, so it'll be done in no time!"

Sasuke thought he felt Naruto place his hand on top of Sasuke's as he added, "Just do me a favor and don't give up, teme. I need you around. Sakura-chan needs you around. Don't leave us."

 _I'll try,_ he thought with a dejected flare in his heart right before his consciousness decided it was time to black out again.

* * *

Sakura was on edge.

Every single little tinker she or Shizune tried was not yielding the results they wanted. This poison was so stupid and sophisticated that one drop of a hundred different ingredients could mean the difference between success and failure. This wasn't anything like Sasori's poison, or any other that she had even been exposed to before.

It was starting to worry her.

After thirty pre-made antidotes had failed the test, Sakura slammed her fists down on the table and cradled her face in her hands. Shizune came over and rubbed her back in a soothing manner, probably feeling the dismay of the situation as much as Sakura was.

"I know it's tough, Sakura," she offered kindly, "but we'll figure it out. With the both of us, this thing shouldn't be a problem to crack. It just takes some time."

"The scroll doesn't have the entire formula for the antidote unless we break the code," she mumbled morosely into her arm. "It could take us weeks to figure it all out, and we don't have that kind of time."

Shizune stopped her rubbing and gave Sakura's shoulder a squeeze. "When have you ever thought about the odds and gave up?"

Sakura paused in her moping, reaching towards the necklace dangling on her chest. She stroked the uneven edges of the diamond, thinking of Sasuke. He depended on her right now, whether he realized it or not. Her efforts now will save his life, if she were to be successful.

With a determined nod, Sakura sat up straight and wheeled herself over to Shizune's station. "Okay, tell me what you have on what makes up the poison."

For hours, Sakura and Shizune slaved over their equipment, chugging coffee in the late hours of the night and only stopping for short meal breaks. Shizune left around two in the morning to help Tsunade with a surgery, leaving Sakura alone to mix another concoction. With a victorious grin, she went to see if it reacted to the seal with the poison. She was sure this one would be the winner.

"Shannaro," she hissed to herself as the concoction sizzled and turned gray on the seal. "This should be the right mixture! There's got to be something missing. What am I doing wrong?"

In her tired and frantic mind, she imagined Sasuke leaning over her, his bangs falling forward as he observed the written composition of the poison.

_"From what you can see, what is the poison made of?"_

Sakura sighed, as if she was reciting this information for the hundredth time, "Based on what I can see from here, it's made of achillea, rue, and dead wort, plus what seems like Pancuronium, which would explain the elevated heartbeats, high temperatures, and the long-lasting effects, but the paralyzation typically wears off on it's own in time. What I don't know what is causing the poison to block chakra from being made or utilized on the wounds. Together, those ingredients can cause the paralyzation and momentary block of chakra, but not continuous and without the presence of the poison in the body."

_"Have you considered looking at the chakra angle itself?"_

Sakura stared at the chemical composition. It could be possible, given the nature of the blocked pathways. The poison could easily latch on if it was subtly enhanced with chakra, in a way that was undetectable by even the most seasoned sensors. And that would mean the antidote would need the same boost in order to work properly against its counterpart. And based on what she and Shizune found, there isn't anything about this that doesn't scream _made with chakra as well_ , but they never considered it a possibility.

She hummed as she leafed through the ingredients that she had been listed in the scroll as the main components of the antidote, along with the others that she discovered that would counteract the negative qualities of the poison. After measuring precisely what she needed, she mashed them with a mortar and pistol then set them to the side before brewing some water with witch sage leaves. As soon as the "tea" was ready, she put the crushed herbs in a beaker and gradually poured the the brew over it, stirring it slowly and then moving it to a hotplate so it could all simmer. She waited for a few moments, at least until there were bubbles popping up, and removed the beaker with tongs.

"I hope this works, Sasuke-kun," she murmured to herself. With her precise control at her fingertip, she directed a burst of chakra to the cooling mixture. The entire thing glowed bright green, and as soon as she took it away, she watched as it turned from brown to dark teal. With a rubber dropper, she sucked some of it up and brought it over to the scroll with the poison. This test would prove if the Sasuke in her head was right.

She put a drop of the poison on the seal, let it dry, before taking the antidote-hopeful in her hand and dropping it on top. With a pop and spark, the liquid fizzed into the paper. The smoke that came up was white and the seal had disappeared from the paper. It worked.

Sakura smiled and she heard Sasuke in her head murmur, _"Good girl."_

* * *

"Hello, little brother."

Sasuke felt his consciousness awaken, but this time he wasn't met with black. Instead he was looking up at a blue sky, grass beneath him tickling his skin, the smell of a spring breeze hitting his nose. He blinked a few times, then looked to his right.

Itachi was sitting next to him, smiling in that sad way he always did when they were kids, looking exactly as he did when his soul departed from his reanimated body. Except the cloak was gone and he was wearing the simple clothing he had always worn before the massacre. It was as if Sasuke was living in a memory.

"Am I dead?"

His brother gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "No, Sasuke. But this _is_ between life and death, I'm afraid."

Sasuke sat up, and looked around, analyzing his surroundings a little more thoroughly. They were sitting in the garden behind the Uchiha manor, but instead of the overgrown and wild place he knew it was in real life, it was fresh-cut and alive. Much like it had been before the massacre.

He glanced at his brother and frowned. "Why I am here? What's going on?"

Itachi looked away, towards the trees shading them, and he sighed, "It appears that you're dying. Or at least, your mind is separated from your body at the moment. That poison that was in your enemy's blade is really doing a number on you."

Sasuke stared at his lap, feeling numb all of a sudden. "I can't go back?"

"Oh you can go back," Itachi said casually, causing Sasuke to snap his gaze back to him. There was that smile again. "It just depends on if your body will let you."

Dimly in the back of his mind, Sasuke heard what seemed like a loud and shrill beep. Something was going on near his body, quite possibly the sound of the heart monitor he was hooked up to. He really hoped it wasn't as bad as Itachi was painting it to be.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Sasuke asked softly. "Are you here to welcome me when I die?"

Once again, Itachi shook his head and finally looked Sasuke in the eye. "No, little brother. I'm not here as a welcoming committee. A lot has happened since you last saw me, and it was an opportune moment to connect with you. The circumstances are less than ideal, I'll admit, but it will have to do. I'm here to tell you that we're all proud of you. You've grown up quite a bit, accomplished so much."

Sasuke's heart seized painfully and he felt his eyes start to burn. "I'm older than you ever got to be, nii-san."

Itachi's smile was warm, despite the pain in Sasuke's voice and the wistfulness in his own. "And taller, too. You've become quite a man, I have to say."

At that, Sasuke chuckled. "I'm not so sure."

"Well, you made ANBU," Itachi commented in a lighter tone. "That itself is an amazing feat."

"Thank you, nii-san."

"I meant it; we're all proud of you."

Sasuke smiled and followed his brother's gaze towards the lake behind the house. "What's it like? Being dead?"

Itachi took a deep breath. "It's hard to say. Time doesn't seem to pass in the afterlife. I died and it felt like I fell asleep, only for me to wake up instantly under the control of the Edo Tensei. And now, it feels like yesterday that I last saw you, though I know it to be years since our last meeting."

Sasuke looked down to his lap and said softly, "It's been over four years."

A chuckle came from Itachi and Sasuke turned to watch him continue gazing at the lake. "That's a long time."

The younger Uchiha nodded. "It seems longer, though. I forgot what your voice sounded like."

Itachi's smile turned morose and he finally met Sasuke's eyes. "I'll always be with you, Sasuke. As long as your heart is beating, I'm right here with you. Don't forget that."

For a second, that seizing pain in his heart came back and Sasuke had to gasp for air. Itachi stared at him strangely for a moment before he gave Sasuke that stupid knowing smile again and stared back to the sky.

"Speaking of... It looks like our visit will be cut shorter than I thought, little brother. Feel better soon."

Before Sasuke could ask Itachi what the hell he was talking about, that pain in his heart returned- this time sharper and more excruciating than before. It felt like everything was sucked into an abyss, going dark around him. Even through the spinning haziness that was this dark, Sasuke heard the frantic voices of the former Hokage, Naruto, and Shizune.

"His heartbeat has returned," Shizune had said over him, relief seeming to come off of her in a rushing wave. "Naruto, please move so we can do our job."

"But he's not breathing!" Naruto cried from near his feet. "Why can't he breathe?"

Come to think of it, Naruto was right. He wasn't letting in any air, and that swirling, dizzy feeling was coming back. It was hard to get an idea of anything when it was all so black and it seemed like all sound around him was passing through water. His lungs were burning and his heart hammering frantically in his chest. Despite being brought back to life- he's lost count of how many times that's happened to him so far- he felt as if he was dying all over again.

"Where's Sakura with that damn antidote?!" Tsunade shouted. He could faintly feel her putting something on his mouth and a cold sensation consumed his lungs. He gasped the air in on instinct and cursed that he couldn't control his body anymore. "He's not producing any more chakra and his body is failing! She needs to hurry the hell up!"

_Well, shit._

Through his muddling senses, he heard the door slam open and the sound of Sakura's voice rang clearly in his ears. "I'm here, shishou!"

"Took you long enough."

There was someone touching him, his face and uninjured hand specifically. _Sakura._ He could have sworn he felt that pressure again, that dumb one in his heart whenever she was around, but through the pain of his body giving out on him and his heart spasming in his chest it was hard to think about it. To be honest it's all he wanted to focus on.

"I think this one will work, Tsunade," Sakura said over him. "According to the scroll, it needs to be administered at the sight where it entered the body, which in this case would most likely be his stomach wound. But it's been festering for a while and has spread throughout his body so we need to give it to him like a vaccine or- Wait, Tsu-"

There was a sharp pain right in his chest, and if he could control anything he would have pushed himself away from the source of the sudden pain and ran away. Tsunade must have taken the antidote and injected it right into his heart, giving him the whole dose in one quick squeeze.

Suddenly, all pain he had felt before felt like feathers tickling his skin. The antidote burned through his veins, searing his blood and twisting his insides like a corkscrew. The scorching torment was unimaginable, like he was set aflame with Amaterasu and left to be reduced to ash. It crawled along his body, the hottest in his heart, stomach, and lungs, destroying every nerve in it's path.

The agony was unbearable, and he thought he could faintly hear someone screaming. As everything around him started to fade back to black, he realized that it had been him.

* * *

**_tbc._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you also tell I love Itachi? When I was writing his dialogue I kept hearing his voice in my head. He's my fav behind Sasuke and Sakura.


	6. Chapter 6

She had been finishing the process of replicating the antidote when one of the nurses scrambled into the lab.

"Sakura-san! Uchiha-san is going critical! Tsunade-sama needs that antidote stat!"

If Sakura could walk, she would have stood and run straight to Sasuke's room without even thinking. But alas, she hadn't had the chance to give herself the antidote yet. She wasn't sure if she had refined it enough, or if it was even remotely right. The seals were sometimes wrong, so she could only hope the vial she held in her hand would save Sasuke.

The nurse came to her aid and pushed her out of the lab and to the elevators. Two floors down and one wing over, Sakura was wheeled right to Sasuke's private room. The whole trip dragged on for ages, slowed by her anxiety and fear that she could be too late.

She couldn't fail him, not again.

"He's not producing any more chakra and his body is failing! She needs to hurry the hell up!"

Sakura's panic increased tenfold and she almost took it upon herself to take the reins and push herself into the room. It wasn't like the nurse wasn't running top speed, or anything. She was pushing herself to her limits, just to get Sakura to Sasuke in time. Time seemed to slow as they approached the door, but she eventually made it, bursting into the room and calling out, "I'm here, shishou!"

Tsunade didn't even turn to look at her as she replied in a scoff, "Took you long enough."

Sakura would have scowled, but seeing Sasuke halted every single retort in her throat. He was hooked up to an IV drip, plus a blood bag, and his face was covered with an oxygen mask. The monitor was beeping erratically and his blood pressure was reading incredibly low. His skin was pallid, and she could see the sheen of sweat covering his entire body. Looking at the monitor again, she saw his temperature was through the roof.

And this was all because she didn't sense the poison in him until it was too late.

With a hard swallow, Sakura schooled her face and handed Tsunade the vial of antidote. She then rolled to Sasuke's side, taking his unbroken hand in hers and stroking his face. In her most collected and professional voice, she stated, "I think this one will work, According to the scroll, it needs to be injected at the sight of entry, which in this case would be his stomach wound." As Tsunade analyzed the antidote, Sakura looked down at Sasuke and felt her heart sink when she added, "But the poison has been festering for a while and has spread throughout his body so we need to give it to him like a vaccine or-" Just as she looked up from Sasuke, she saw Tsunade had already prepped a needle and was about to thrust it into Sasuke- "Wait, Tsu-"

Before she could stop her teacher, the needle was plunged right into Sasuke's heart, and the scream that tore from his lips afterward rattled her to her bones. Too many times had she heard him cry out in agony, but never like this. It was raw, ripping from his throat in the most tortuous tones that it broke her heart to pieces. He was thrashing, as if he was trying to get away from the pain of the antidote moving through his veins. Behind her, she could hear Naruto breathing heavily and she could only imagine him barely holding it together as he watched his teammate suffer.

After what felt like an eternity, his cries calmed down and he settled back into the bed. He was panting, but his heart rate was evening out and his breathing started to calm, as well. Sakura felt her own fear release the cold grip it had on her heart as Tsunade observed his body with her chakra.

"Well, it seems like the antidote is working," she said softly. "Sasuke seems to be almost free of the poison now. We'll heal up the rest of his wounds in the morning. Well done, Sakura."

She beamed when her teacher turned to her and gave her a proud smile.

"Now, go give it to yourself so you can finish healing your legs," she said after she finished cleaning up. "And then get some rest. Heavens knows you need it."

Sakura turned back to her unconscious teammate, and shook her head softly as she squeezed his hand. "I think I'll stay with Sasuke-kun just a little longer."

She didn't hear Tsunade mumble something about being too selfless, nor did she hear Naruto tell her that he was going to leave to go clean up and let Kakashi know that Sasuke would be okay. All she cared about at that moment was Sasuke's peaceful face and the lessening pain in her own heart.

* * *

That night, Sakura administered the antidote to herself. Unlike Sasuke, it wasn't painful. Instead it tingled in her veins, trickling along like ice cold water. She shivered as it spread through her body, laying back on her hospital bed as it took effect. Sakura observed the effects, making note in her head to write all of it down once she stopped shivering. It reminded her of sitting in an ice bath, numbing her entire body. Well, at least the parts that weren't already that way.

It took about an hour for the coldness to wear off, and around that time Naruto came into her room. He was wearing new clothes, hair still damp as if he had come straight here after his shower. In his hands, he was holding two mugs of what smelled like hot chocolate that he probably got from the cafeteria.

"Have you healed your legs yet?" he whispered as he closed the door behind him with nothing more than a soft click.

Sakura shook her head and replied, "I'm going to wait until the antidote has completely taken effect. If I rush healing myself before whatever is blocking my chakra networks in my legs is removed, it could be a waste. I don't want to risk it."

Naruto's brow furrowed as he set the mugs down on the bedside table, but he said nothing, instead pulling up a chair and sitting at her side. The blankets wrapped around Sakura's shoulders were pulled tighter when another tremor shook through her body. This caused Naruto to reach up and feel her forehead- as if he knew what to do if she were running a fever, which she wasn't.

"It's completely d-different for me than in was for Sasuke-k-kun," she commented absently. "The antidote feels like it is revitalizing my ch-chakra pathways, and it's c-cold as it travels through my body. Though it seemed to be hot for Sasuke-kun, maybe because he still had the p-poison in his body when I didn't. I honestly h-have no idea why it's like this. I j-just hope it w-works for both of us."

Naruto fully frowned now. " _I_ just wish we hadn't made those mistakes to get us here in the first place."

Sakura silently agreed. If she hadn't been a careless leader, if she had caught the poison in Sasuke's blood, if she hadn't let herself get cut down so easily, if she had gotten her team out in the efficient manner they were known for- the list goes on and on- this wouldn't have happened. But Kakashi had told her that their injuries were punishment enough for their mistakes, considering the mission was actually completed and not a failure. Naruto snatching a sample of the poison was his get out of jail card, essentially.

"We'll be fine, N-Naruto," Sakura reassured him with a gentle smile.

His frown lessened and he opened his mouth to speak, but there was a knock on her door interrupting him.

"Come in."

The door opened and Shizune stepped in. Her smile was sad, and a little hesitant. "How are you, Sakura?"

"Fine, I guess," Sakura replied with a shrug as another shiver overcame her. "The antidote m-made me cold."

Shizune nodded, a thoughtful look on her face, when she asked, "Have you tried checking your chakra paths yet?"

When Sakura shook her head, she looked to her lap and wiggled her fingers. The cold had been lessening since Naruto came in, almost to the point now where she barely felt it anymore, except for the occasional shiver or two. Naruto gave her an encouraging nod and she moved her hands to her chest. She focused her chakra, feeling it travel through her body and winding around her limbs. Where the obstruction had been before, it was clear. A grin made it's way to her lips and she released her byakugou before performing Creation Rebirth again.

At first, Sakura felt nothing. The familiar energizing sensation of the jutsu ran through her, but she didn't feel any change in her legs. For a moment, she feared the worst and thought the antidote didn't actually work, and that she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life. That if the antidote didn't work for her, that it wasn't going to work for Sasuke and that he was going to die. She failed again and it would cost her everything. Her breathing picked up and her heart thundered in her chest, blocking out any rational thoughts or the encouraging words of the visitors in her room.

She was so enveloped in her panic that she didn't realize she could start to feel her toes again.

* * *

Sasuke's conscious mind came to some days after Tsunade injected him with the antidote. He only knew this because Kakashi told him as he was speaking to him when his mind woke up.

"... starting to feel her legs again," he had mentioned. Sasuke was hoping he was talking about Sakura and not some girl in his perverted novel. "I find it funny that she was so worried about it not working she didn't realize it did until Naruto patted her knee and she screamed in pain." Kakashi chuckled, "She told me it reminded her of when your leg falls asleep and then you touch it once the blood flow returns. It was that sharp pins and needles sensation."

There was a shuffling and Sasuke vaguely felt something touch his leg. "Perhaps you can feel this as well. I wouldn't doubt if you were conscious in some way, you could hear me. You _are_ remarkable like that."

If Sasuke was capable of smiling, he would have.

"She wants to come visit you," Kakashi added. "To check up on your progress, see if there's anything she can do for you. But Tsunade told her to take it easy for another couple of days. She'll have to do some physical therapy to get some of her strength back." Kakashi chuckled for a moment and added, "She looked like a baby deer when she tried to walk."

Again, Sasuke wished he was capable of controlling his body just so he could smile.

There was a scuffing noise and he heard Kakashi sigh, "I'd like to stay longer, but I told Shikamaru I was doing a 'super important Hokage thing' and he's currently giving information on a mission to a shadow clone since I was supposed to be back an hour ago."

Silence met Sasuke's ears and he vaguely wished Kakashi had stayed. Being trapped inside his head was not an ideal situation for him, and the one-sided conversations with whatever guest decided to come in his room was the only thing keeping him awake. The company given to him by his teammates tended to reassure him that he was going to be alright. And their comforting words kept him going, even if his body felt like it couldn't fight the darkness anymore. Plus, he didn't mind listening to them ramble on about mundane pieces of life or reminiscing of the better times. It kept him awake, it kept him sane. But now that Kakashi was gone, his body seemed to decide that it was time for more sleep.

He really hated this.

* * *

_**Two and a half years ago** _

The gates of Konoha loomed over him, high and formidable, and Sasuke took a heavy breath before trudging into the village. The weather in Konoha was starting to turn from fall to winter, dry and cold air brushing past him and knocking leaves off of trees being the tell of the time of year. He always loved when the weather was like this, and coming back now seemed fitting. He garnered it was either late October or early November; it was hard to know what the exact date was when travelling in the wild for months at a time.

After being on the road for over two years made Sasuke appreciate the things that he missed in Konoha, the weather being one.

The shinobi guarding the gates stared at him in awe as he signed the log book, and were too shocked to reply when he bid them farewell. By the time he was walking away, he heard one of them prattle on about how it was Uchiha Sasuke, once again returning to the village.

He smirked to himself and kept moving along. It was early in the morning, before any of the shops opened, but Sasuke knew there would be a certain kunoichi already awake and getting ready for her day. He was about to make his way to her apartment when he felt a flare of chakra, one he was so familiar with that he memorized it's special touch to his soul. He stopped where he was and waited, feeling the signature approach at break-neck speed.

Sasuke realized the irony of his location, noting the bench to his right.

With a smirk, he watched as she rounded the corner and kept running. Her eyes were wide and her smile bright, bright enough he could see her happiness from where he was standing. She rushed forward, so fast that the few citizens out at this early hour barely could make it out of her way in time. From what Sasuke could see, she was already dressed and ready for work, so she must have sensed him on her way to the hospital.

The fact that she ran across the entire village to greet him made a small smile form on his face.

The second she skidded to a stop in front of him, time seemed to stand still. She was here, he was here. He was back and she was here to see it. Her eyes were wide with shock, her chest heaving with pants. But he didn't notice. All he cared about was the fact that she was here. She had waited for him, just like she promised. And he came back, just like he had, too.

Sasuke felt the corners of his lips pull up even more. "I'm home, Sakura."

She beamed, and without waiting she wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed herself against his body. The smile was still on her face as she held him tight, and her happiness was evident in her voice when she replied in a soft murmur, "Welcome home, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

"...-kun?"

There was a dull throbbing in his head, a dry tightness in his throat, and an aching pain radiating throughout his body. It was miserable, to say the least.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He groaned. The sound of whoever was saying his name was bouncing around his head and it was not a pleasant feeling.

"Sasuke-kun, can you hear me?"

He pressed past the pain that was enveloping his entire body, and struggled to open his eyes. It was dark, thank goodness, but there was still a bit of lighting coming from the machinery attached to his body. His sight was still blurry, but he could make out the drip hooked up to his arm and the cords that lead to the heart monitor. With a few blinks, he registered that it was Sakura sitting next to him, giving him a teary smile as she clutched his hand with hers.

"Welcome back," she murmured, letting the tears fall down her cheeks.

On instinct, Sasuke clumsily reached up and wiped the tears away. Sakura took his hand and kissed his palm- it was then that he realized that there was no cast or pain, so the broken bones had been healed- then pressed her face against his hand.

"I was so afraid," she whispered against his skin. "I thought we were going to lose you."

With his dry throat, Sasuke only managed to croak out, "-kura..."

She leaned forward and pushed his hair out of his eyes, hushing him and asked quietly, "Are you thirsty?"

He gave the strongest nod he could muster and she reached for the water jug next to his bed. She brought the straw to his lips and he took a few sips before relaxing into his pillow. The water seemed to be the only reprieve from all of the heavy aching he was feeling at the moment.

Sasuke could barely register the faint green glow of Sakura's chakra lighting up the room, and the calming sensation of her healing washed through him, though it did not lessen the pain he felt throughout.

Sakura hummed, and she murmured, "Your body is still recovering from the antidote's effects. It will take a while, but you'll be feeling better in no time."

He grunted in reply. She may not realize it, but his body was still in completely insurmountable pain, and he just wanted it to stop. Couldn't she give him some pain medication, or possibly heal all of it away? It was starting to get unbearable.

"Tsunade told me to come down here as soon as I was done doing my final healing session," she added softly, taking away her magic touch and making Sasuke yearn for it to return. "Some of your wounds were so extensive that even she couldn't take care of them in one night, so she asked me to come in and hopefully take care of the rest."

He managed to open his eyes and stare at her. She was looking into her lap, uncertainty painting her features. Sasuke lacked strength at the moment, but he put whatever he had into reaching for her hands and holding her. She gasped when his fingers fumbled around hers, but quickly turned her wrist around so they could weave their fingers together.

Sakura's eyes were watery again when she looked up to his face, but her smile was warm and loving. "I'm so glad you're awake. It's been over two weeks since we left that rogue base. I thought I wasn't going to be able to see your eyes again."

Sasuke closed his eyes- despite the urge to keep them open and reassure her- and held onto her hand tight. He felt her fear, too, thinking that he wasn't able to protect her. That it was his fault she had gotten hurt because he wasn't there for her, and he wouldn't be there for her anymore because he was going to die. And that if he died, he wouldn't be able to touch her again or smell her or see her bright grin or hear her soothing voice. If he died, he wouldn't have been able to hold her the way he always wanted to.

Sakura began shedding tears openly now, whispering into the still room. "I was so afraid, Sasuke-kun. I thought I lost you. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you sooner. I was supposed to protect you, not because I was the team leader but because I love you and I can't bear the thought of losing you again."

He was waiting for her to say that. Though she hadn't voiced it to him in a very long time, he knew she still felt that way about him. In fact, he had started to feel the same love for her. He had mumbled the sentiment against her scalp when they thought they were going to die by the hands of rogues. He felt it with all his might before she was pried from his body by one of Naruto's clones and he was hauled onto the real Naruto's back. He had always known she loved him, but the overwhelming feeling of him returning her affections had been something he was afraid of since he figured it out over a year ago. But now was the best time for him to tell her outright, instead of before possibly dying or just not at all.

With a shuddering inhale, Sasuke replied, "I love you, too."

Sakura stilled. "What?"

Sasuke's voice was hoarse and barely louder than a whisper, but he did his best to repeat himself. "I love you."

Her eyes got wide and a tear fell down her cheek, forgotten in her shock. "You do?"

He gave her a small nod and squeezed her hand again. "I should have told you sooner."

Sakura's head shook furiously and she leaned closer to him. "No, no... I'm glad you said it now."

"I said it before," he retorted weakly, feeling a smirk tug at his lips. "You just didn't hear me."

She pouted for a moment, and Sasuke felt the sting of his pain vanish for that second. How he loved her, he couldn't say. It just happened. Looking at her now, with her hair in slight disarray and soft blush on her cheeks, he couldn't deny the fact that he just did.

"I can't give you much," he rasped. She glanced up at him and a warm smile graced her lips. "But I can give you what I have."

One of her hands cupped his face and she replied in a breath, "I know."

His exhaustion was sweeping over him again, but he struggled as hard as he could so he could stay awake with her. It was right up there with the throbbing pain leftover from his injuries, but he would fight it all just for her.

"Sasuke-kun," she murmured as she pushed his hair away from his face again. It was soothing. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

He nodded and felt the corners of his lips pull up when she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. That night he slept more peacefully than he had in his whole life.

* * *

For the next few days, Sasuke had many visitors. Naruto was the most prominent, coming at least once a day with either food or just to hang out. Sakura came and went when she could, considering she hadn't been discharged from the hospital yet. She came in when none of the medics were in, she came to do her own analysis of his body, and even just came in late at night to talk. Kakashi had come once, casually reprimanding him for their performance but still wishing him a speedy recovery. He even got a bouquet of flowers from Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, a strange thing indeed.

Sasuke, for the most part, was tired. He slept most of the time, not even noticing when someone came into the room to check up on him. He woke up when Naruto came in, mainly because of the smell of real food or the sheer loudness that came from his best friend.

He didn't always wake up when Sakura came in, but her presence alone soothed him more than he thought possible. On the last night of his hospital stay, she came to him as a medic, not his friend- girlfriend? They didn't really establish any titles yet- and handed him a packet of papers.

"Alright, so here's your discharge instructions," she started. "Basically, Tsunade wants you on bed rest for another two weeks. No missions, no heavy activity. Just sitting at home and relaxing."

Sasuke scowled at her, which she promptly ignored with a cute smile.

"She's also prescribed you with some pain medication, just for the residual soreness that we couldn't fix. Also, you are scheduled to come back in a week to check on your progress," she added. When she looked up from her clipboard, she gave him a wink when she tacked on, "Oh, and I'm assigned to give you daily checkups until your bed rest is over."

He raised a skeptical brow at her. "Oh, really?"

Her smile grew and she sat down next to him on his bed. "Well, it's kind of off the books. Tsunade knew how worried I was about you so she _insisted_ that I check up on you every day until you've been given the all-clear to do missions again."

"I'm sure."

"Plus, you have to do some physical therapy to get some of your strength back," Sakura mentioned, ignoring the way he sighed as she continued, "It's only precautionary. You've been restricted to this room since you got here, so you've lost some strength in those three weeks. It won't be much."

Sasuke felt the corner of his lips perk up. "Well, then wouldn't it be easier if you just stayed with me during that time? It would be a waste of energy and time for you to trek _all_ the way across the village just to tend to me."

Sakura's cheeks turned bright red and her eyes got comically huge. Her stuttering and stammering was ridiculously adorable, considering he just shocked the ever living hell out of her with that off-handed comment.

"I-I-I-I, uh w-well, it m-might n-not-"

"I was kidding, Sakura."

She seemed to relax a little.

"But I wouldn't mind you staying the night once or twice."

Sasuke may have laughed for the first time in a long time when her eyes rolled to the back of her head and blood came spurting out of her nose as she tumbled to the ground.

* * *

**_fin._ **

**Author's Note:**

> Oh sweetie you don't even know.


End file.
